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The paper presents the main routines of production and inventory control at ABB Motors, Vasteras and Volvo Wheel Loaders, Eskilstuna. The primary interest is to present how Material Requirements Planning (MRP) is used in these two companies. If the number of end items is large, the company assembles-to-order or makes-to-order then additions to pure MRP seem to be necessary. ABB Motors and Volvo Wheel Loader use: planning bills, a normal bill of materials with 'adding bills of materials', a master production schedule planning system with an available-to-promise function and a home-made 'system' for modules available-to-promise. One important measure for the both companies is the accumulative lead-time. An increase of the Master Production Schedule in a shorter time than the accumulative lead-time is avoided, because it will lead to suggestions of purchase in past time periods and therefore most probably to future material shortages.

This paper emphasizes the importance to a manufacturing company of decreasing the product structures, both in width and depth, thereby shortening the throughput times, standardizing and reducing complexity, and identifying bottlenecks in order to increase efficiency and profitability. Having once been a production control and plant manager at Ericsson and Benzlers, the author has drawn upon his experience in researching this paper. Other influences include knowledge of well-known trends in production management, e.g. WorldClass Manufacturing, Lean Production, Time-Based Management, OPT, etc. The paper also stresses that it is difficult to present real new ideas concerning production management, but nevertheless discussions and publications of ideas and incentives to achieve an efficient production of products and services must continue.